


A Working Progress

by willyherondale



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, BAMF Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Other, Protective Steve Rogers, Shy Steve Rogers, Steve Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Feels, steve rogers/you - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-10 10:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5582536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willyherondale/pseuds/willyherondale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didn't really know how to put it. A flutter? No it was more permanent than that. All he knew was that you seemed to be the only thing he really understood at this point. Or at least he thought. He didn't know how to put it after all, all he could hope was that you felt the same way. Oh, and that Natasha wouldn't push him to do something stupid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Engagements

**Author's Note:**

> nyello! so I haven't writen a proper full on fanfic like this in nearly two years now so here goes!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bam! Here it is.

Natasha's brow furrowed and her head cocked like a spaniel as she stepped in the lift to find you standing there, seemingly quite content. It wasn't often things slipped past her, but this was something she was sure she would have noticed earlier. Unless...it happened recently. Your engagement ring, standing out as if it were the bat signal on your own hand, as you clasped some files to your chest. It appeared to be a simple band with one small gem inset within it. Nothing flashy, most likely a family heirloom by the looks of it. One of Steve's? His mother's perhaps. It was uncomplicated and easy to look past if you weren't a high level assassin like herself. She was slipping. And of course, no, she wasn't going to ask outright, that would be much too obvious. She was supposed to notice these things right off the bat, but somehow Steve Rogers, the man with the literal American flag emblazoned on him 24/7, had managed to sneak this one by her. What on Earth was going on.

She had only just gotten off a stealth mission with said Captain America, so how in the world had no one told her? He obviously had to have done it before their mission together as she was to go to a debriefing meeting for that mission with Coulson right now. So when could he have done it? Tony's party a week ago? No, she was there, if only for a short period of time, but she had seen you afterward. No ring. She bit her lip in frustration and shook her head, a silent chuckle following. 

You turned your head to see Natasha shaking her own with a smirk painted on her lips. Confused at first but eventually coming to the common conclusion, she had only just noticed your ring. "Let me guess, 'When's the wedding?'" You said with a hint of exasperation in your voice, only just masked by the humor you projected. You had been sick of people asking you about it from the moment you slipped the ring on to your finger. And the congratulations. The hugging and pats on the back were the worst; why did people only notice you within the SHIELD office now you were engaged to America's finest? It wasn't like this made you someone now, although some may argue otherwise. I mean you had been associated with the Avengers for a time now, and some even considered you to be one of them, but this level of gossip about you hadn't been heard since the start of the relationship. And honestly? It was already getting old. You weren't entirely sure how the others coped with it all, 'Probably just try to ignore it.' you thought. But then, there were the ones that even thrived off of the attention, Tony Stark for instance. God knows why. 

The assassin's voice snapped you from your thoughts, "Yeah, actually, I was going to ask where my invite was," the smirk in her voice was sickeningly obvious, the ridiculousness of it all brought a small laugh to your lips. 

"Haven't exactly gotten that far yet, only just gotten past the congratulations. You're one of the more discreet ones, thank God," you lightened your tone, at least she wasn't painfully explicit with her acknowledgement of the engagement as others were. Especially, oh God, Tony Stark. You wanted to curl up in a ball and stop existing when he first saw. The teasing hadn't since relented even once. Even Steve had to admit writing his congratulations in the sky with his suit was just a tiny bit over the top. 

"Glad to be of some relief if anything," she smiled again. You hadn't seen her smile so much, you don't think at least, since you announced the fact that Steve had pumped himself up enough to actually ask you out. Turns out she had been a big part in the matchmaking process of you two but still denied to take credit for it, 'Honestly it was all Steve.' She would say, the blatant lie clear in her eyes. 

You chuckled slightly, "I honestly think that Steve might need to take a break from it all, even Banner won't shut up about the whole ordeal. Could you maybe do me a favour? Get them to shut up?" Answered only by a smirk and embarrassed at your request you added, muttering to yourself mostly, "Even if only just for a day." 

The Elevator dinged letting you know that the doors were about to open. Natasha's floor. She seemed to have left the lift without even another word but you could have sworn you heard, "I'll think about it." 

Left to muddle through your own thoughts in the elevator until you came to your floor, you smiled as your mind wandered. Steve was such an oddball, you thought, he tried his best though, bless him. You couldn't even start to imagine what it must be like to adjust to such a time, seventy was a long time to catch up on after all. So much had happened too, the Cold War, Nuclear power, Mobile Phones. The list could go on with more things you didn't care to mention. You could only hope that your love of swing music was one of the reasons he didn't feel so out of place in this era and had chosen you to be with for the rest of his life. 

The elevator dinged once more, indicating you to get off as the doors opened to let you through. You just hoped to God Fury wouldn't bite your head off again for being another minute late to the meeting.


	2. First Impression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve may not be what you hoped America's symbol of hope would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey...sory for taking down the last chapter but I really wasn't happy with it and just thought that it would be better if I took this fic in a different direction first. So yeah, here's the second chapter, hope it isn't too bad but yeah. There we go. Oh yeah and also please leave any comments cuz I'd like to see what you guys think of it and such. Cheers!

The first time you met Steve Rogers you honestly thought you were going to throw up. Forcibly thrown into a chair in a bland boardroom waiting for everyone else to arrive wasn't exactly the most romantic way to meet the love of your life for the first time. And it wasn't as if he really took an initial interest either when you did actually introduce yourself. Just a quick nod to your presence and a firm handshake was all you seemed to get out of him. In retrospect he was probably quite stressed at the time considering the amount of missions Fury had given him recently. I mean, your introduction happened just after a debriefing and a 5,000 word report of the last mission, no wonder he seemed rather rude. 

The last time you had been left to wait over half an hour for someone was your last dating failure. Evidently the Avengers weren't the most punctual of sorts, which surprised you considering their reputation. But then again, Tony Stark was one of the Avengers after all.  

To say it was awkward when the first other person stepped in the room was an understatement. Turns out it was Clint Barton; a notorious prankster with a wicked sense of humor and a good aim. So when you think back on it, you didn't quite understand why he was so tense when he saw you. You quickly checked yourself over to make sure there wasn't anything on your face or if your clothes were askew. No, nothing wrong so why did he look so frightened? 

The tension died down when a few more others trickled in; Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark. And while the tension may have ceased temporarily, the teasing had only just begun. A smirk found it's way to Tony's lips and the look on Natasha's face, although she didn't know you, warned to watch out for the gleam in his eye. 

"Well Hi there, pretty little bird. You the new med for our team, didn't realise you'd be so attractive," the smile on his face didn't cease even when you flushed down to your chest. You weren't wearing anything special and in all honesty you personally thought the regular SHEILD uniform didn't do anything for anyone's figure. 

"Ignore him, he does this to everyone," your eyes drifted to the kind Doctor's briefly as he said this to you. You nodded in response, for some reason failing to find your voice. 

"Hey Banner! Why've you always got to ruin my fun?" Tony had pouted with the demeanor of a five year old as he slumped into his chair, sending a wink across the table at you in the process, making you flush once more. 

It was only when Director Fury came in with Thor trailing behind him that everyone shared an equal amount of confusion on their faces. Where was the Captain? "He'll be with us shortly, he just has to sort through...some things.." the Director answered as everyone's expressions lifted.  

The Captain then decided to make an appearance just as the meeting was ending. His stern expression, one you were not expecting, scanned you from head to toe before his eyes flicked to Fury as you introduced yourself. The handshake seemed even colder than his icy blue eyes. 

He sat across from you, not taking his eyes away from your face. This was not exactly the treatment you were expecting from America's hero. But maybe he was always like this out of the public eye? It wasn't like you actually knew him. Perhaps he was only the good looks he was known for though, and his kind heart was just an act. You didn't know honestly, but you couldn't deny he was rather easy on the eye. 

"Lighten up Cap, you don't want to scare them off, poor thing," Tony muttered to Steve as he clapped him on the shoulder, only to be shot down with another glare. "God, someone woke up on the wrong side of patriotism today." 

"Tony, shut up," Natasha ordered. 

"As you wish," he held his hands up defensively. 

Later on in your relationship, you would learn to find that his bad mood was in fact not caused just by being tired from the mission, but also because he had been stood up by a certain co-worker for a date and no more than half an hour later, swiftly dumped. You ended up finding this quite amusing considering the fact it was the first time you two had met, and usually he was a little bundle of sunshine. You didn't even really know why he had taken it so hard, but then again you had had more than your fair share of relationship mishaps over the years, and considering it was one of his first attempts at a serious one, you could understand the feelings behind his grumpiness.  

It was only over a week later, after you had started to become accustomed to the team's workings and quirks (also known as Clint's teasing and Tony's flirting), that the Captain had the right state of mind to go and apologise, and even introduce himself properly. 

He stopped you before you entered the elevator to go down to the lab."Hey um, I've been told I was rather harsh towards you the first time we met. By Tony of all people," His lips curled upwards as he sheepishly tried to meet your eyes. "Sorry." 

"It's ok, I understand. I mean, we all have those days, right?" You attempted a smile back, not entirely sure what to make of the whole situation. At that current moment after all, all you had known of the Captain was a rather grumpy, rude individual, so you were a bit apprehensive to say the least. 

"Yeah, look...can we start over?" He held out his hand towards you in truce as he scratched the back of his neck. A nervous tick he had developed as his Mother was dying back before the war. He never seemed to have been able to shift it since then. 

You nodded, grasping his own hand with yours. Something then seemed to have changed behind his eyes. A kindness had settled in them that you hadn't seen there before. You returned his smile with a genuine one, "I'm glad to have made your acquaintance then, Captain." 

"Steve- please," his smile dropped slightly as he let go of your hand. "Were you going down to the lab? It's just I need to give Tony this and I'd rather not talk to him today. Could you possibly give it to him for me?" He held out a folder for you to take. 

"Oh, um. Yeah, sure," you took the folder off of him as you stepped into the lift. 

"It's not too much trouble is it?" concern worried his face. 

"No, Cap- Steve," you corrected, "it isn't, just remember you know owe me one now." You winked. He blushed slightly. 

"You're as bad as Tony I swear," he chuckled slightly looking off down the corridor, "Thanks, by the way. I'll see you around?" 

"Sure Steve, sure," you smiled at him one last time before the doors closed in front of you. Perhaps the Captain wasn't as bad as you first thought.


	3. oh,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve doesn't know how to flirt. He also doesn't know how to date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the happiest with this chapter but it's still pretty good. Anyway enjoy!!

You had a blaring headache and you didn't really know if it would ever go away. Three factors accounted for this migraine. Two of them were related, the other- not so much.  

The first factor would have been rather obvious. Tony bloody Stark. For some reason he thought it a good idea to be in a particularly irritating mood this week; never letting you have a spare five minutes without teasing or just not letting you be, and even messing up your work from time to time just for fun. You didn't really know how Banner coped, you knew he had some crazy techniques of calming himself down, but subjecting himself to the torture of Tony's company? You wouldn't wish that on anyone really. Never. Well, unless they _really_ annoyed you. 

The second was related to being trapped in the lab for well over a month and a half, trying to get this goddamn formula to work. It hadn't been working no matter what you tried and you refused to leave until you had finished, being the workaholic you were. In all honesty though, it didn't necessarily seem that would happen anytime soon, and it was your own fault that you'd locked yourself up in such a way. However, making yourself confined to such a small area just added to the problem of your irritability towards Tony. Your only solace really seemed to be your small discussions with Banner that you had when you were both having a break at the same time. Rarely happened though. 

The third was slightly different, but completely your own fault again now that you reflected on it. It was Steve. He was checking up on you constantly when he had the chance since you'd holed yourself up in the lab. Whether that just be a short five minutes, making sure you ate, or just letting you have a chat to take your mind off of things. He had tried, and failed, to actually make you have a regular sleep pattern but it was really rather hypocritical if he truly thought on it. It was nice though, that he was checking up on you. Heartwarming really. 

Aaaand that was the problem. You were starting to like him. Like, like-like him, and that was a big problem. His visits initially started to be few and far between, mostly to see Tony about something or rather, much to his own dread. However, as he saw how hard you were working, (and he had progressively less missions as Fury was taking it easy on him for once) he had started to (intentionally at first but soon turned into habit) visit the lab more. Just to make sure you were ok. Of course it was completely professional, he argued, just to make sure you were in good condition if an emergency ever occurred. Like finding Bucky. 

Of course he had had conversations with you before, sparse as they were, despite the fact that it had almost been a whole year since you had joined the team. You were even there for the fall of SHIELD, saved his life a couple of times too. It was only now though that he seemed to be at all interested in actually paying attention to you. Before it was just you were the med on the team, he was just the Cap, end of. But now, he didn't know what to make of it all, his feelings especially. He had been dating here and there, but having never really been in the game before, and being Captain America (which either scared people off or just made another crazed fan out of a potential partner), it really made for things to be rather difficult on his end. 

You on the other hand had decided that dating was entirely out of the picture until you had at least finished your PhD, if you could just get this bastard of a formula to work.  

A friendship would be nice retrospectively, you thought to yourself. You couldn't really deny that the Captain was attractive but truly there were others out there that would suit him better. Not that you had a crush on Steve, or anything as juvenile going on. 

Being so mixed up in your thoughts allowed your concentration to dip significantly, even if only for a moment, making you drop an extremely important blood sample ending up with it smashed, on the floor, in pieces. 

"Shit." 

"Language," You didn't even realise he'd entered the room. You really should work on that 'getting distracted easily' problem. 

"Morning," You said turning your head to him, a smile on your face and blood stained goggles perched on your nose. 

"Uh- yeah," He decided to ignore your complete lack of being able to managed your time well. It was 9.00PM. 

"So, what can I do you for, Captain?" You asked whilst proceeding to pick up the shattered glass in your hands to later bin, "need some more papers signed, or just trying to make Tony even more irritating? _Or_ are you actually here to spend some wonderful time in the company of _moi_?" 

The last part was a joke really but it didn't seem to register in the Captain's mind as one. You finally met his eyes after a long (and awkward) pause to find his face to be beet red. He seemed to finally find the urge to talk as soon as you made eye contact "Well I-I...I m-mean if that's okay w-with you? I-" 

"Yes Steve, it's totally fine," You smiled again, "it was only a joke after all." 

"Oh," He looked down, "okay." 

"Hey chin up, Soldier. What did you want to talk about anyway?" Another pause. "You must have had something on your mind to talk about surely?" 

"Well..." He stopped again, as if he didn't necessarily want to say anymore. Changing the subject would be safer. "So what's that you just dropped?" 

You walked over to the bin to discard the remnants of your disaster, "Oh, nothing important really. Just another possible breakthrough that I managed to hinder myself from getting to, yet again." 

"I'm sorry, is there any way I could help?" His eyes filled with worry, seeing the bags under yours. 

"No..no. It's fine, _I'm_ fine. Really, please don't worry," You knew he would only beat himself up about not being able to help otherwise, like the last time. 

" _Okay_ ," He didn't believe you for a second but he let it go, for now. 

You coughed. "Anyway, how are things going with Sharon?" You nudged his side with your elbow and winked as you passed him by the counter, "Nat told me things were getting _steamy_." 

"If you could call getting the cold shoulder that, then yes," He sighed and crossed his arms. 

"Not again Steve, really?" you turned to him, "I genuinely thought she might be the one for you, I'm sorry." 

"Don't be." He looked up again, "I just don't think I'm really cut out for the dating game." 

"Steve-" 

"No, let me finish." Hand held up defensively, he gave you a stern look. He was serious. "It just seems to me....How do I put this? Even before I was Captain America girls were only in it to date the good looking guys. I know, I know, it's a big generalisation. But even now, in such a modern era, it seems as if as nothing has really changed. Sure people used to go after me in war time, but we had a war to fight you know? I didn't want to put the burden of possibly losing me on someone I could have loved for the rest of my life. I couldn't stop it for Peggy but-" He ceased for a moment, as if to collect his thoughts. "I just don't know if I could put that burden on someone I love again. I don't know if I could do that again." 

"Steve I-I don't know what to say." 

It was is he hadn't heard you, he continued, "And despite this I just can't get over the fact that the majority of people I date now are just so skin deep. They're in it for Captain America, not for Steve Rogers. It just...It frustrates me you know?" He finished. 

"Yeah, I understand," You mumbled. 

"Thanks," He said, just as quietly. 

A slow clap was heard over from the other side of the lab accompanied with a low whistle, "Well, well, well. What a speech, Steve! Really should have recorded it. But to get to my point, I would really appreciate it if you both could clear up the blood on my lab floor, thanks." A smile went along with the thick sarcasm in his voice. Tony. 

"I'll get right on it," bitterness evident in your sharp tongue. 

"Cheers," He absentmindedly brushed you off as he went back to his own research. 

Steve followed you around the lab as you picked up various cleaning equipment and proceeded to mop the floor. He was desperately trying not to break anything but it was a little difficult navigating the lab benches without doing so. 

"Steve, I think it would be better if you just stood still instead of following me around like a lost puppy. I'm not going anywhere, just chill. Okay?" You smiled at him before turning back to your mopping, making the red stain pink and drip away down the drain slowly. You exhaled heavily, feeling his eyes burning into the back of your head, making a blush reach your cheeks and dust them pink. Goddamn him. Every single time he visited you this happened. Okay, maybe not for the first few visits but still. It was starting to become a problem. You couldn't ignore anymore that you had a little bit of a crush on him. Just a _little_ one at least. He was just so kind and gentlemanly. But no, he was off limits. You set this boundary before you even joined SHIELD. Do not, under any circumstances, date a co-worker. 

But there he was, in all his glory, being himself. Fuck him honestly. When he made that big speech about not being right for the dating game, a small part of your subconscious squealed hoping against hope that he was maybe, just maybe, going to ask you out. _In your wildest dreams_ , you thought,  _he just explained why he was going to stop going on dates._ What _were_ you thinking? 

Clearing his throat he started for the door, "I should- I should really go. You're obviously busy. Sorry." His hand was on the door handle just as you decided to interrupt him. 

"Steve, wait." He tensed. You took a deep breath and all the courage you had to say what you said next. Might as well do something yourself if Steve wasn't going to make the first move. "We're going out for coffee." 

"Oh are you now?" Tony decided to interject, raising an eyebrow. 

"Shut it, Stark. Come on, Rogers, we're going," You said before exiting the lab for the first time in well over a month, leaving a flustered Captain and sniggering Stark in your wake. Unfortunately for you, you hadn't realised that a coffee shop probably wouldn't be open at this time of night.


End file.
